Chapter 2 – The Forest
Martis skirted the woods carefully, feeling her senses heighten and heart nearly pounding out of her chest. It was like this when she first saw a Manticore, its humanlike face almost alien as she and it gazed eye-to-eye for almost an hour.
This was less dangerous. After all, Medusa was more relaxed, and the energies she tasted on the wind told her that the woods were well guarded by Centaurs. The Centaurs, if they were anything like the ones she knew, would make sure any humans stayed out of places they did not belong.
However, the being in the brown cloak might not even be human.
Her hand slipped down to Sev's hand, both now moving carefully through the beech trees. The trees' thickness indicated this part was the younger area of the forest, while the dusky forms of wider trees before them shielded the older, darker parts.
She shivered, wishing that she had brought a cloak with her. The sun was going to start setting over the tops of the trees soon. The fickle spring air responded more quickly, or perhaps the struggling buds of the trees provided enough shade from sunlight to drop the temperature around them. Or maybe it was this frozen land telling her to go back to Crete and enjoy more rational weather.
She certainly was not going to tell Sev she was cold. He would be able to convince her to go back to the castle and then the adventure would be ruined.
Was Medusa relaxed because she was sleeping again?
Both reached the edge of the older oak trees, their gnarled forms twisting in the darkness behind them. Martis pressed her finger to her lips and both carefully made their way around the base of the tree, looking in all directions; Martis looking for the brown-cloaked figure and Sev looking for anything that might eat them.
Sev touched her shoulder, making her gasp and choke at the same time. He leaned close against her back, his lips near her ear. "Only me, Spirals!"
"Don't scare me like that!" she whispered back.
"You feel cold."
"I'm not."
"You have goose-pimples all over your back." He pulled away and slipped his robe off, draping it over her.
She looked back to see him in his uniform she had bought him for Christmas. Already she could see the space between the hem of his trousers and the tops of his shoes. She mouthed a 'thank-you." and pulled his robe closer around his shoulders. It smelled like him - mostly potions, a little soap, a lot of his own teenage boy smells. 'Boys smell weird,' she decided.
Martis tiptoed to the next tree. Sev echoed her movement. She repeated. He followed.
Sev cared little for adventure. Adventure was something in which some poor idiot in a far off place was doing with incredible amounts of bad luck plaguing him on the way. Severus Snape did not stand for adventure.
'So why are you in the Forbidden Forest with a butt-kicking Amazon and looking for people in cloaks?' a voice asked him.
His reply was a simple: 'Shut up.'
Both heard the sound of a soft alto voice singing in a lilting Irish brogue:
"Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland -
Some have come from a land beyond the wave -
Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland -
Shall shelter the despot, or the slave -
Tonight we man the bearna baoghal -
In Erin's cause, come woe or weal -
'Mid cannon's roar and rifle's peal -
We'll chant a soldier's song!"
The song seemed to come from all around as they continued on, listening for a single direction. Finally, it seemed to be concentrated in front of them on the other side of a large oak wider than Sev's reach.
Martis pointed for him to go around the left while she would surprise the right. Sev shook his head - 'NO WAY' - and she made an obscene hand gesture at him in return. He answered back with another type of obscene hand gesture that surprised her, considered she had never taught this one to him. She sighed and braced her back against the tree, pulling Medusa off her shoulders and holding the snake in her arms. Inching her way around the tree, she stood at a 90-degree angle between Sev and the noise, now quite certain it was right next to her.
"HOO-WHA!" she shrieked, twirling around and tossing Medusa at the figure. She spun back against the tree and was shocked to hear:
"[CENSORED] [CENSORED], SPIRALS! GET YOUR [CENSORED] [CENSORED] SNAKE OFF ME!"
Martis and Sev glanced at each other, and then ran around to the other side of the tree to see Bridget O'Shanahan trying to untangle herself from Medusa.
"Kells?"
Bridget slung Medusa back at Martis who caught the airborne snake. "No - Queen [CENSORED] Maeve!"
Sev sniffed. "She's tanked again."
Martis sniffed as well. "That's more than poteen. Kells, what have you had?"
"Wazzit bloody matter teh yew?" Bridget slurred. She unsteadily raised her wand. "Gew away, Spirals. I'm seek n'tired of studdyin'. Lemme relax."
"If you got any more relaxed, you'd be dead," Martis told her. "Come on, let's take you back to the school."
"No!" Her wand swayed. "Stey away!"
Sev pulled his wand out, pointing back at her in return. "Kells, put the wand down. You're in no condition to do any incantations."
She opened her mouth.
Sev quickly yelled, "SILENCIO!"
Bridget was shocked to find her voice not working. She took a swig of clear liquid from a bottle and stood up, towering over both.
Martis quickly dropped to her hands, sweeping her foot into Bridget's ankles and causing the girl to collapse -
Right on top of Sev.
"Spirals, help! ARGH!" Bridget already had a fistful of Sev's hair in her hand and was about to plow a Celtic-warrior-trained fist into his hooked nose -
Martis' wand drew out, her voice calling, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Bridget's body stiffened, falling on top of Sev again, this time not being as violent about it.
Sev pushed the girl off. "Adventure, you say! Fun, you say! I've a mind to leave you in the middle of the forest with the - SPIDER!"
Martis turned around, feeling the hairs all over her body stand on end as she found herself staring back at the eight eyes of an Acromantula right in front of her, hanging from a tree above. It was about three feet wide, minus its legs.
"Snips," she breathed. "How far are we from the forest edge?"
"About two hundred yards."
"Let's grab Kells and run."
Sev inhaled deeply, feeling his knees and arms turn to gelatin as he uneasily lifted up Bridget on one side.
Martis stabbed her wand toward the face of the spider as she cried, "CONJUCTIVITIS!"
The spider's legs waved around the air, screaming wildly; the legs closest to its eyes trying to clear away the hex. Martis picked up Bridget's other side and both students sprinted out of the forest.
"Great Mother, I promise I will never ask for adventure again as long as I live - "
"IF we live!" Sev shrieked. "Now SHUT UP AND RUN!"
The cries of the spider died in the distance as the trees gave way to thinner and thinner trunks, until at last they burst out of the forest, dropping Bridget to the ground and falling, gasping for breath.
Sev turned over, his hair in his face, pointing an accusing finger at Martis. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Martis sat up and got in his face, her sunglasses hanging off one ear and Medusa slipping from her shoulders. "It's MY fault that we saved Kells from being devoured by an Acromantula?"
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT WAS AN ACROMANTULA?" he yelled right in her face.
"Because I'm pretty sure we don't have nuclear testing around here!" she answered.
"YOU - "
Hagrid picked up both by the scruffs of their necks and pulled them apart. "Oy, oy! What's goin' on?? What about an Acromantula?? And what happened to Bridget??"
Martis and Sev looked at each other, and then looked up at the hairy man. "Ever heard of poteen?" she asked as she handed Sev his robe back.
The look Hagrid gave Sev as he put his robe back on made the Third-Year boy blush up to his hairline.
Martis skirted the woods carefully, feeling her senses heighten and heart nearly pounding out of her chest. It was like this when she first saw a Manticore, its humanlike face almost alien as she and it gazed eye-to-eye for almost an hour.
This was less dangerous. After all, Medusa was more relaxed, and the energies she tasted on the wind told her that the woods were well guarded by Centaurs. The Centaurs, if they were anything like the ones she knew, would make sure any humans stayed out of places they did not belong.
However, the being in the brown cloak might not even be human.
Her hand slipped down to Sev's hand, both now moving carefully through the beech trees. The trees' thickness indicated this part was the younger area of the forest, while the dusky forms of wider trees before them shielded the older, darker parts.
She shivered, wishing that she had brought a cloak with her. The sun was going to start setting over the tops of the trees soon. The fickle spring air responded more quickly, or perhaps the struggling buds of the trees provided enough shade from sunlight to drop the temperature around them. Or maybe it was this frozen land telling her to go back to Crete and enjoy more rational weather.
She certainly was not going to tell Sev she was cold. He would be able to convince her to go back to the castle and then the adventure would be ruined.
Was Medusa relaxed because she was sleeping again?
Both reached the edge of the older oak trees, their gnarled forms twisting in the darkness behind them. Martis pressed her finger to her lips and both carefully made their way around the base of the tree, looking in all directions; Martis looking for the brown-cloaked figure and Sev looking for anything that might eat them.
Sev touched her shoulder, making her gasp and choke at the same time. He leaned close against her back, his lips near her ear. "Only me, Spirals!"
"Don't scare me like that!" she whispered back.
"You feel cold."
"I'm not."
"You have goose-pimples all over your back." He pulled away and slipped his robe off, draping it over her.
She looked back to see him in his uniform she had bought him for Christmas. Already she could see the space between the hem of his trousers and the tops of his shoes. She mouthed a 'thank-you." and pulled his robe closer around his shoulders. It smelled like him - mostly potions, a little soap, a lot of his own teenage boy smells. 'Boys smell weird,' she decided.
Martis tiptoed to the next tree. Sev echoed her movement. She repeated. He followed.
Sev cared little for adventure. Adventure was something in which some poor idiot in a far off place was doing with incredible amounts of bad luck plaguing him on the way. Severus Snape did not stand for adventure.
'So why are you in the Forbidden Forest with a butt-kicking Amazon and looking for people in cloaks?' a voice asked him.
His reply was a simple: 'Shut up.'
Both heard the sound of a soft alto voice singing in a lilting Irish brogue:
"Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland -
Some have come from a land beyond the wave -
Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland -
Shall shelter the despot, or the slave -
Tonight we man the bearna baoghal -
In Erin's cause, come woe or weal -
'Mid cannon's roar and rifle's peal -
We'll chant a soldier's song!"
The song seemed to come from all around as they continued on, listening for a single direction. Finally, it seemed to be concentrated in front of them on the other side of a large oak wider than Sev's reach.
Martis pointed for him to go around the left while she would surprise the right. Sev shook his head - 'NO WAY' - and she made an obscene hand gesture at him in return. He answered back with another type of obscene hand gesture that surprised her, considered she had never taught this one to him. She sighed and braced her back against the tree, pulling Medusa off her shoulders and holding the snake in her arms. Inching her way around the tree, she stood at a 90-degree angle between Sev and the noise, now quite certain it was right next to her.
"HOO-WHA!" she shrieked, twirling around and tossing Medusa at the figure. She spun back against the tree and was shocked to hear:
"[CENSORED] [CENSORED], SPIRALS! GET YOUR [CENSORED] [CENSORED] SNAKE OFF ME!"
Martis and Sev glanced at each other, and then ran around to the other side of the tree to see Bridget O'Shanahan trying to untangle herself from Medusa.
"Kells?"
Bridget slung Medusa back at Martis who caught the airborne snake. "No - Queen [CENSORED] Maeve!"
Sev sniffed. "She's tanked again."
Martis sniffed as well. "That's more than poteen. Kells, what have you had?"
"Wazzit bloody matter teh yew?" Bridget slurred. She unsteadily raised her wand. "Gew away, Spirals. I'm seek n'tired of studdyin'. Lemme relax."
"If you got any more relaxed, you'd be dead," Martis told her. "Come on, let's take you back to the school."
"No!" Her wand swayed. "Stey away!"
Sev pulled his wand out, pointing back at her in return. "Kells, put the wand down. You're in no condition to do any incantations."
She opened her mouth.
Sev quickly yelled, "SILENCIO!"
Bridget was shocked to find her voice not working. She took a swig of clear liquid from a bottle and stood up, towering over both.
Martis quickly dropped to her hands, sweeping her foot into Bridget's ankles and causing the girl to collapse -
Right on top of Sev.
"Spirals, help! ARGH!" Bridget already had a fistful of Sev's hair in her hand and was about to plow a Celtic-warrior-trained fist into his hooked nose -
Martis' wand drew out, her voice calling, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Bridget's body stiffened, falling on top of Sev again, this time not being as violent about it.
Sev pushed the girl off. "Adventure, you say! Fun, you say! I've a mind to leave you in the middle of the forest with the - SPIDER!"
Martis turned around, feeling the hairs all over her body stand on end as she found herself staring back at the eight eyes of an Acromantula right in front of her, hanging from a tree above. It was about three feet wide, minus its legs.
"Snips," she breathed. "How far are we from the forest edge?"
"About two hundred yards."
"Let's grab Kells and run."
Sev inhaled deeply, feeling his knees and arms turn to gelatin as he uneasily lifted up Bridget on one side.
Martis stabbed her wand toward the face of the spider as she cried, "CONJUCTIVITIS!"
The spider's legs waved around the air, screaming wildly; the legs closest to its eyes trying to clear away the hex. Martis picked up Bridget's other side and both students sprinted out of the forest.
"Great Mother, I promise I will never ask for adventure again as long as I live - "
"IF we live!" Sev shrieked. "Now SHUT UP AND RUN!"
The cries of the spider died in the distance as the trees gave way to thinner and thinner trunks, until at last they burst out of the forest, dropping Bridget to the ground and falling, gasping for breath.
Sev turned over, his hair in his face, pointing an accusing finger at Martis. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Martis sat up and got in his face, her sunglasses hanging off one ear and Medusa slipping from her shoulders. "It's MY fault that we saved Kells from being devoured by an Acromantula?"
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT WAS AN ACROMANTULA?" he yelled right in her face.
"Because I'm pretty sure we don't have nuclear testing around here!" she answered.
"YOU - "
Hagrid picked up both by the scruffs of their necks and pulled them apart. "Oy, oy! What's goin' on?? What about an Acromantula?? And what happened to Bridget??"
Martis and Sev looked at each other, and then looked up at the hairy man. "Ever heard of poteen?" she asked as she handed Sev his robe back.
The look Hagrid gave Sev as he put his robe back on made the Third-Year boy blush up to his hairline.